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What Kyiv's Moscow strike and EU sanctions talks meant
Summary
A look back at the security picture on 22 September 2026, after a large Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow Oblast and a sanctions decision in Brussels.
What was the security picture on 22 September 2026, and how did it take shape? Two developments from the preceding days framed it: a large Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow Oblast, and a European Union sanctions decision that was then challenged.
The attack on Moscow Oblast
On 20 September 2026, Ukrainian forces launched a massive drone attack on Moscow Oblast, Russia. More than 1,600 long-range drones were launched from Ukraine. At least two people were killed and hundreds more were evacuated. Moscow Refinery was on fire after several direct hits.
The same day, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that he had ordered the attack. He described it as a response to Russian forces targeting civilians in Ukrainian cities. He also said that FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles and ballistic missiles had been used in the operation alongside the drones.
The strike fitted a pattern of attacks inside Russia since the full-scale invasion of 24 February 2022. The main targets have been the military, the arms industry and the oil industry, and many of the attacks have been drone strikes.
Sanctions in Brussels
On 21 September 2026, European Union ambassadors agreed in principle to remove Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In the same package, they agreed to renew restrictions on about 3,000 other Russian-linked individuals and entities for three years.
The agreement did not hold. Latvia later blocked the deal.
Two tracks, one war
Together, the two developments showed pressure on Russia being applied on separate tracks: military strikes on Russian territory, and economic and legal measures decided in European capitals. The sanctions regime has its roots in the period following the Russian annexation of Crimea, which began in late February 2014, and has been applied by many countries and international organisations.
By 22 September 2026 the war, which began with Russia's invasion on 24 February 2022, was in its fifth year. Russian troops occupied roughly 20% of Ukraine, according to later background accounts of the conflict.
